Saturday, February 12, 2011

This week was all about family for me...going to visit family, looking at old photos and reminding those I love that I care about them. It made me think...Mother's and Father's Day will come before we know it! I know I know...it's months away...but if we find inspiration now...we could be setting up our shops to really target customers already seeking the perfect gift for their Mother or their Father.

This week, I found inspiration by looking for items that reminded me of my family or a family memory.

When I start thinking of special memories or things that my family and I like to do together, I get inspired. Don't you? Here are some items that reminded me of my family and got me inspired to start working on Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day illustrations and art.

Little known facts about me & my family:

1.) My dad was a potter when I was growing up. He can center and throw a bowl in less than 30 seconds. Zoom!2.) My parents and I have collected over a million vintage buttons...glass, metal, shell and original plastic. :)3.) My mom has always been into knitting and making textiles with yarn...we have a large loom in our living room.4.) My dad has a degree in Ceramics but also a minor in Marine Biology, Jewelry Making and Marine Biology.5.) My Grandmother was a Tule Painter and spent time teaching decorative painting classes in her spare time.

I'd love to know if any of the items in your shops were inspired by your family.

5 comments:

Beautiful treasury!! Thank you so much for including my hammered bracelet :)My mom is a quilter who puts the most random pieces of fabric together to create an amazing quilt! I think that I get my eye for color and willingness to experiment with different techniques from her.I have been trying to get her to have an Etsy account for about 2 yrs, but she is just doing the quilting offline right now...Ros

That's great to hear. My Aunt, who is a Math teacher...has been quilting for a while. She says it allows her mathematical side to mesh with her creative side. I like that some types of crafts allow people let their creative side shine...even if they can't draw a straight line. :)

Two of my mom's brothers are painters, one also does metal sculpture. My aunts are all crafty in one way or another. When I was in elementary school my mom took a pottery class, I think that's when the clay first got in my blood.

My mother took up painting in retirement. I never thought anyone else in my family was artistic or crafty until I learned several years ago that my mother's grandparents were pottery makers when they first came to the US